Hewitt et al. v. Helms
Decided June 19, 1987. Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 85-1630 · 482 U.S. 755 (1987) · Cited 973 times
Holding
Respondent is not a "prevailing party" eligible for attorney's fees under 1988.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 5–4.
Majority · 5
- Antonin Scalia · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Byron Raymond White
- Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Dissenting · 4
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- John Paul Stevens
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Maher v. Gagne · 448 U.S. 122 (1980)
- Hewitt v. Helms · 459 U.S. 460 (1983)
- Hanrahan v. Hampton · 446 U.S. 754 (1980)
- Harlow v. Fitzgerald · 457 U.S. 800 (1982)
- Pulliam v. Allen · 466 U.S. 522 (1984)
- Eccles v. Peoples Bank of Lakewood Village · 333 U.S. 426 (1948)
- Public Affairs Associates, Inc. v. Rickover · 369 U.S. 111 (1962)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Buckhannon Board & Care Home, Inc. v. West Virginia Dept. of Health and Human Resources · 532 U.S. 598 (2001)
- Rhodes v. Stewart · 488 U.S. 1 (1988)
- Farrar v. Hobby · 506 U.S. 103 (1992)
- Shalala v. Schaefer · 509 U.S. 292 (1993)
- Texas State Teachers Ass'n v. Garland Independent School District · 489 U.S. 782 (1989)
- Lackey v. Stinnie · 604 U.S. 192 (2025)
- Astrue v. Ratliff · 560 U.S. 586 (2010)
- Lewis v. Continental Bank Corp. · 494 U.S. 472 (1990)
- Sullivan v. Hudson · 490 U.S. 877 (1989)
- Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski · 592 U.S. 279 (2021)
- Sole v. Wyner · 551 U.S. 74 (2007)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Antonin Scalia’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1987). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).